Bucks edge Celtics

LOS ANGELES: Giannis Ante­t­okounmpo scored 32 poi­n­ts and 17 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks made the right plays down the stretch to avenge an earlier loss to the Boston Celtics with a 128-123 victory in the National Basketball Association on Thursday.

Alone by a comfortable margin atop the Eastern Conference, the Bucks came out quickly in the first quarter by opening a double-digit lead five minutes in. They then held on at the end to improve to an NBA best 37-6 on the season.

Donte DiVincenzo scored a career-high 19 points and Brook Lopez added 16 as the Bucks extended their winning streak to five games, while winning for the 10th time in their last 11 contests.

The Bucks went on a run late in the third to take a 19-point lead into the fourth quarter. “We were able to get defensive stops and that helped and then we pushed the pace a little,” said the Bucks’ Khris Middleton.

Kemba Walker led Boston by scoring 40 points and grabbing 11 rebounds and Marcus Smart added 24 as the Celtics lost for the fifth time in their last seven games.

“He was awfully special tonight,” said coach Brad Stevens of Walker as the Celtics tried to find something positive in the loss.

The Celtics are considered one of the few teams that have the talent to topple the Bucks in their march to the top seed in the playoffs.